


Pitiful

by leet19



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Archie POV, Canon Compliant, F/M, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Sort Of, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-21 19:08:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13747407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leet19/pseuds/leet19
Summary: Archie didn't notice when it was that he fell in love with Betty Cooper.





	Pitiful

**Author's Note:**

> Set during Season 1

The thing is... 

 

When Archie was nine years old, he knew he was in love with Betty Cooper and one day he would make her his wife. It was simple. Betty was so pretty and nice, she helped him and played futbol with him and would invite him to dinner and they would spent as much time as they could in each other's company. When he passed his classes and found out they would still be on the same year together, he had been overjoyed and had kiss her, an innocent peck on her lips and had asked her to marry him. She had told him to wait because they were too young and he had understood, even when he hadn't been pleased about it. And as they grew up, their friendship only grew all the more stronger, there was no moment they wouldn't be in each other's proximity, as if they were glued together.

 

But then the teenager years came and changes happened that made Archie want to hang out more with boys than with Betty. Is not as if they had lost contact or anything, they walked to school together every morning and had extracurriculars together and would do homework at each other's houses. But now Archie spent his time doing sports and hanging out with the guys and his attention strayed over other places. Other girls. He wasn't the only one that changed though, Betty had compensated not having Archie's full attention by making friends around, namely, Kevin. Archie at first hadn't been too happy, he had always been a jealous person and he had thought Kevin would steal Betty from him, he had acted like a downright brat till Kevin himself set him straight and told him they were friends, only friends and would never ever progress to anything else. The redhead had mumbled his way trough denials that he wasn't worried about that at all but he was secretly relieved that it was the case. Which only became fully forgotten when Kevin came out as gay.

 

So time continued to pass, everything being perfect as it was. He had Betty and his friends and futbol and girls. What else could he ask for? Somehow, Archie started losing sight more and more of the innocent boy that wanted to marry his best friend and instead focused on exploring other options, fooling around with girls quietly, flirting or even kissing. It never felt wrong, Betty and him were friends after all, there was no reason why he shouldn't do this kind of things yet there was a part of him that always was very careful to keep it lowkey so she wouldn't find out. In some level, he wanted to keep her as the only girl in her life and his dates knew this, it was like all of them knew that if they wanted Archie, they would have to be satisfied with whatever he'll give them while knowing no one could take Betty's place on his life. Everyone knew that Betty and Archie belonged together, an universal truth that no one challenged. Betty was his view of perfection, of untouchable so whatever feelings he had as kids, he forced them to become of only friendship in fear that he might tarnish her in some way. It worked.

 

Till Veronica arrived, at least. 

 

It wasn't till she came to town and metaphorically threw everything out in the open, that Archie realized what had been happening. 

 

While he had been too busy on his dilemmas of growing up and girls and futbol and all sort of stupid stuffs, Betty had always been thinking of him. In  _that_ way. She was in love with him and had been brave enough to tell him even when in his stupid mind, he had been unable to answer her in the correct way and when he finally did, he didn't make things better at all. Seeing her tears, her sad eyes, the pain so obvious, he felt like the worse scum in the world.

 

Then, so many strange things started happening on the town so he just couldn't focus on it, there was also his brief affair with Geraldine and once Betty found out about it, he felt so, so bad but also angry cause she had no right to keep calling him off as if she were anything besides his friend. He understood she was worried -Betty was always worried- but he wanted what he wanted and wouldn't let her convince him otherwise. Of course, that went right down the drain when Alice Cooper found out and faced him alongside his own father. He hadn't been mad at Betty for it, he knew that no matter how bad she sees his relationship, she would have never exposed him, specially not to his mom and in the fierce way she defended him, he knew they were okay and would go back to be friends, the best of them and things would go back to normal.

 

Except they didn't. 

 

Now that Betty knew he dated, he felt more free to do it and flirted with Veronica while also learning music from Valerie, finally dating her and getting lost in a world of composition and rebeliousness and other stuffs beside Betty. Which is probably why he didn't notice how she was slipping away from his fingers. Not with a friend this time, but a boyfriend. Jughead. He had honestly not seen that one coming. They were both so... different. Jughead was a loner and weird-ish, with a dry sense of humour and a fatality that seems to live with him while Betty was sunshine and bright smile and tender comfort and everything he was not. She was perfect so why on Earth would she choose someone as unperfect as Jughead was?

 

If that was the case, she could have been with Archie. 

 

He buried that thought as deep as he could in his mind, Jughead was his friend and he was happy for him. And for her, of course. But he couldn't help the way his eyes narrowed when he touches her, the way his smile slips or his fists clench, the way he has to look away when they kiss or even the longing it sometimes shows on his eyes when she hugs him in a way she only used to hug Archie. He firmly tells himself that it's only because now all of Betty's time is for Jughead, they can't hang out without getting interrupted by him or Veronica. 

 

Archie tried to distract himself with Veronica, she was fun and hot and would do things that really keep his mind away from Betty even when they hadn't gone all the way, there was no rush for it after all. It worked but only to a extent, it only takes to look at Betty and the feelings come rigth back. Archie had almost panicked when Veronica forced his hand on telling Betty that they were dating, vividly remembering his friend's face when he had entered that closet with Ronnie, the heartbreak on her eyes. But this time there was only a smile and warm consent. Damn, she even was amused, specially Jughead. It didn't feel real. 

 

How? How could she look at him and not feel...  _anything_ anymore? Betty had claimed to have been in love with him for years but now after being with Jughead for a few months, Archie was a thing of the past? It was egotistical of him, he knew, but couldn't help his thoughts, the emptiness it caused inside of him. When they had a free moment, he caught up with her and asked her if she really meant what she said and Betty had smiled again, telling him how she really meant it this time, she was fully okay. And Archie wasn't okay with that. He wanted to reach out and... and... talk to her. Tell her the mess of thoughts he had inside, about her, about them. He wants to say 'She's great but she isn't you' but before he could fully say it -or stumble his way through it- Betty cuts him off by telling him how lucky they are with the people they are meant to be.

 

Archie can't even muster a happy smile for it, he gives her a forced one that it dims fast and it feels fake and wrong. So he tries harder to push it away from his mind, the want, the longing becoming stronger. He firmly tells himself that is because he's losing his best friend, because she isn't there for him like she used to be before anymore and he misses that fiercely. He wants to go back to the time where it was just Archie & Betty, ready to take on the world, committed to get married as soon as they were legal to. It didn't help at all when Veronica called them soulmates. Just no. He couldn't even say he was happy for them because it was wrong. Wrong. Wrong! He and Betty were soulmates, music and poetry, best friends forever, the only girl and boy for each other. He wanted to say it, to just confessed to someone, even if it hurts Ronnie. He just wants to get it all out,  how confused he has been feeling but he gets interrupted by something much important and the moment fades.

 

By the time Veronica mentions it again, Archie has already decided that whatever he's feeling, is not worth mentioning anymore and he wants to give his absolute best for her, to try a real relationship and love her as he sees Betty loves Jughead. He wants all of them to be happy and remain friends. So he says it's all for her, what he wants for her. His soulmate. And stil... his eyes wander to Betty as he sings his song, looking for her smile, her approval. And it feels as if he's singing for her, to her. The moment is crushed when Jughead shows up to her speach and her eyes light up and he's reminded one more time how things are.  It doesn't matter right now though, cause she's speaking and showing how even despite all that they had lived, she is still as perfect and even stronger than before. He feels proud. 

 

Betty Cooper is Riverdale.

 

And Archie believes firmly that even if right now they aren't perfect for each other, aren't meant to be. Sometime in the future they will. 

 

That, finally makes him smile and decide to follow the rhythm of life. He will find his way back to Betty just as she will to him. He knows.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still watching Season 2 so I didn't add it in here but I just love Barchie since day 1 and needed to write about them TT Sorry about typos and I think I changed times somewhere in there *oops*


End file.
